A driver who turned his engine on after drinking claimed that he only did so to charge his phone.
Ben Butterworth was discovered asleep and slumped over the wheel of his car parked on Sampson Street in Liversedge.
Bill Astin, prosecuting, told Kirklees Magistrates’ Court: “The engine was still running and he said he’d been charging his phone.”
However, the Huddersfield court heard that the phone was wedged between the 30-year-old’s legs and not connected to anything.
Breath tests showed that he had 92 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.
This was over two-and-a-half times the legal limit of 35 microgrammes.
Butterworth, of Reuben Street in Liversedge, pleaded guilty to being in charge of a vehicle while over the legal limit.
Mark Mangano, mitigating, explained that his client had parked his car in a pub car park and gone for a drink elsewhere before returning.
He told the Huddersfield court: “The defendant decided to go into his vehicle and start the engine to charge his phone.
“He can’t explain why when police arrived he was asleep in the vehicle and his mobile wasn’t being charged.”
Butterworth was banned from driving for eight months and ordered to complete 60 hours of unpaid work.
He must pay £85 court costs and £85 victim surcharge.
